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MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE Star Pursues Full-Time Racing Career

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE Star Pursues Full-Time Racing Career

By Movieguide® Contributor 

Frankie Muniz, two-time Golden Globe nominee and Emmy nominee for his work on MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, announced that he is switching gears and will be ARCA racing full-time in 2023.

“Ever since childhood, it’s been my dream to pursue racing in NASCAR,” Muniz shared.

While he had a successful acting career on the sitcom MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (2000-2006), Muniz took a break from his acting to focus on his other passions, which included racing, as Movieguide® previously reported.

Now 37, Muniz has the chance to live out his childhood dream.

“Finally making my dream a reality, this one is for my son and showing him that you can always chase your dreams,” he posted on Instagram. 

USA Today reports that the former actor will drive the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang full-time in the ARCA Menards Series and participate in testing at the Daytona International Speedway as part of the Rette Jones Racing team.

While Muniz emphasized the importance of being on a team that would allow him to “grow mentally and physically as a full-time race car driver,” he also believed that his opportunity could be inspirational to others—in particular, his son.

“I look forward to not only demonstrating my ability on the track and just how serious I am in progressing in my racing career, but also showing my son and family what it is to chase your dreams and re-invent yourself,” he explained.

“I want him to grow up seeing me reach for my dreams and work hard for something that I’m passionate about, and the one world where I feel like I still have unfinished business was the racing world,” Muniz said. “So I’m going to go racing.”

Rette Jones Racing team co-owner Mark Rette believes that Muniz has what it takes to be a successful competitor.

“It is not going to be easy, and there will be a learning curve,” Rette said about Muniz. “But with his passion, focus and commitment, along with the capabilities of our team, we believe we are going to put him in a position to contend for multiple wins in 2023.”

Rette also believes that Muniz’s celebrity status will draw more people to the sport.

“We’re excited that, because of Frankie’s profile, new audiences and fans will be introduced to the sport and Rette Jones Racing,” he added.

Team co-owner Terry Jones also believes that Muniz will see success in this new career path.

“Without a doubt, we believe in Frankie’s ability and commitment, and with Mark’s leadership we believe that he will quickly adapt on the track and contend for a championship in his rookie season,” Jones shared.

Movieguide® previously reported on Muniz’s career change:

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE star Frankie Muniz recently shared why he left Hollywood after finding fame as a child actor playing Malcolm on the Emmy-winning show, which ran from 2000 until 2006.

“When I was on MALCOLM, I was just so excited to be working on a show. But also in that same sense, when the show ended, I kind of left the business for a little bit,” Muniz told Fox News Digital.

As he’s gotten older, Muniz is grateful for the time he took off and realizes why “so many people go down a bad path” that typically include drugs and alcohol.

“I think for a lot of people, it’s probably difficult to go from having such success at a young age where you always have people going like, ‘Oh, I love you,’ and everyone wanting you here and there. And then that starts to fade,” he explained.

“A lot of people try to replace the missing feeling of [being] wanted with something else. And that really is a negative for a lot of people,” Muniz continued. “Whereas for me, I’ve always been super focused on what I was currently doing because I wanted to be the best at whatever I was doing. And that’s how I am.”

When MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE wrapped in 2006 after seven seasons, 151 episodes, and seven Emmys, Muniz took a break from acting and turned his attention to his other passions.

“I started doing other things. I was racing cars. I joined a band. I was touring all over. I opened some businesses and I got to experience so many amazing things in my life, which now at this point has made me able to reflect and look back and be so appreciative of the experience,” he said.

 

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A post shared by Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz4)


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